UN condemns deadly attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA

United Nations’ human rights monitor on Tuesday condemned deadly attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

“We are deeply concerned about the protracted and extremely violent attack on Palestinians in the West Bank village,” Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said in a press briefing note on Monday.

Colville noted that Hamdi Taleb Na’asan, Palestinian father of four, was shot dead in Al-Mughayer district village near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

A group of nearly 30 Israelis using live ammunition reportedly attacked Palestinian farmers in their fields, and injured a total of 20 villagers, three in critical condition, the spokesman said.

“Three more Palestinians were injured by live ammunition after the intervention of the [Israeli] security forces,” Colville added.

On Saturday, Palestinian Health Ministry had announced that a Palestinian was martyred during a raid by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 700,000 Jewish settlers now live on 196 settlements (built with the Israeli government’s approval) and more than 200 settler outposts (built without its approval) across the occupied West Bank.

International law views the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity on the land to be illegal.